Anglican Mainstream

From Andrea Minichiello Williams:  Monday, 21st January:   votes on fathers and abortion

The House of Lords will continue to debate the Bill on Monday 21st January, when they will be voting on the ‘need for a father’ in IVF treatment and an amendment on abortion for disability. Lady Masham, who is disabled herself, laid the abortion amendment.  Currently the law permits abortion up to the point of birth if a child is diagnosed as disabled.  This has been the point of some controversy in the past, as it has allowed the late abortion of foetuses for such minor conditions as a cleft palate (Joanna Jepson case).  It is also argued by many disability rights groups that the law is discriminatory and eugenicist.  Lady Masham’s amendment proposes that abortion on the grounds of disability be repealed and therefore brought into line with the rest of the abortion law.  The deadline for all amendments to the Bill is tomorrow and currently Lady Masham’s amendment is the only abortion amendment that has been laid in the House of Lords. You can still write to the Lords before Monday about fathers and abortion, and encouraging them to attend the votes.

And now, from the AM website:  As it is rather late, please think about contacting the peers via email or phone.  http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/members/lords_contact.cfm http://www.writetothem.com/about-lords  gives concrete information about exactly how to do it on line! Or you can phone – if that is easier!  0207 219 3000

Please care enough to do even a little something!  If you are like most people, if you make it a big deal nothing at all will happen, and it will be yet one more thing to feel guilty about later.   But there is a tiny window of time here, time to respond in a modest but important way.  And if nothing else, the very act of responding – of doing something - will begin to stem the psychologically deadening lethargy which seems to have enveloped many of us, me included, in recent times.  Please think:  Is it really acceptable to abort a little unborn female or male baby up to birth because of her or his birth defects?  Is it really acceptable to create children who will be intentionally denied the love and protection of their father?  If not then act.  And please pray!

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